MONTICELLO — A Drew County man pleaded guilty Friday to killing his brother over a dispute involving a woman and was sentenced to 46 years in prison.
Duane Gonder, 25, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder, aggravated assault and criminal attempt to furnish prohibited articles into jail, officials in the 10th Judicial District prosecuting attorney’s office said.
Judge Don Glover, ruling in Drew County Circuit Court, sentenced Gonder to 30 years on first-degree murder, six years on the assault and 10 years on the criminalattempt charges, the officials said.
The judge ordered the sentences to run consecutively.
Gonder was accused ofshooting his brother Marcus Gonder, 28, either late June 30, 2009, or early July 1, 2009, at Marcus Gonder’s home at 638 Plantersville Road west of Montongo.
After the shooting, Gonder drove to his home next door, jumped out of the car, got in his truck and fled.
When the truck got stuck in a ravine on a rural, muddy road, he fled the scene on foot.
Authorities, dogs and men on horseback searched for hours in the two-mile-long woods that separated U.S. 425 and Plantersville Road.
In the evening of July 1, 2009, Gonder phoned authorities and directed them to a home off U.S. 425 in Lincoln County where he was hiding.
He was taken into custody there without incident.
Arkansas, Pages 10 on 07/24/2010